A woman has launched a battle against Manchester City Council after being fined for using the wrong parking ticket machine.
Popular TikToker Zoë Bread, who maintains anonymity in her videos and is known for satirical t-shirt designs, received a £50 penalty after parking for just six minutes on Collier Street in Castlefield last week.
The creator, who boasts 1.3 million followers on TikTok, claims she made what she describes as a "common" error due to misleading signage.
According to Zoë, the sign on Collier Street directs motorists to "go down the road to a pay machine" with an arrow pointing towards a private SIP car park payment terminal.
This private machine has a yellow "pay here" sign above it, making it appear official (Stock Image)
GETTY
This private machine has a yellow "pay here" sign above it, making it appear official.
However, drivers parking in the on-street bays actually need to walk around the corner to Beaufort Street to find the correct council payment terminal.
"If you've never parked there before, you see it says pay over there with an arrow, so you just go over there to the big 'pay here' sign," Zoë explained.
After her appeal was rejected, Zoë launched a "stake out" to find a traffic warden to discuss her issue.
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She documented her efforts on TikTok, where her videos have been watched more than two million times.
As part of her campaign, Zoë created her own sign to warn other motorists not to use the SIP machine.
She also spoke with a council employee during her investigation, noting that a nearby security guard claimed the same mistake "happens 10 times a month."
"It's literally the definition of misleading because I was misled by it," she said.
During her investigation, Zoë downloaded council parking data to analyse fine patterns on Collier Street.
Her research revealed a dramatic 246 per cent increase in penalties after the SIP car park opened.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service confirmed these findings, noting that 90 fines were issued in 2018/19, compared to 311 in 2023/24.
Zoë attributes this significant jump to the confusing signage that leads drivers to use the wrong payment machine.
As part of her campaign, Zoë created her own sign to warn other motorists not to use the SIP machine
TIKTOK
The data appears to support her claim that many motorists are being caught out by the misleading directions.
Following Zoë's viral campaign, Manchester City Council has acknowledged the issue and promised to review the signage.
A council spokesman said: "While the council believes there is clear signage indicating there is a private car park in operation at the Collier Street Arches and that the majority of people are able to purchase a valid parking ticket, we appreciate there has been some confusion amongst a small number of motorists."
The council has committed to "explore if additional signage is needed" to ensure drivers are directed to the correct ticket machine in future.
